Review: 'Dragon's Dogma' a worthy yet struggling adventure

Releasing an open-world adventure game these days is a pretty risky move, not only because you need to have the right amount of content to make it worthwhile, but also because of the competition.

"Skyrim" has been ruling the online realm for months, despite PlayStation 3 problems; "The Witcher 2" introduced a captivating tale in its own right; and "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" certainly isn't a slouch. Undaunted, Capcom has decided to release "Dragon's Dogma" anyway, and though it's hardly a trouble-free experience, adventurers will love what it has to offer.

In the game, you're a young adventurer who finds himself (or herself, depending on whom you create) in a vast quest for . . . well, your own heart. In the opening of the game (following a robust customization session), you find yourself facing a vicious dragon, only to be knocked to the ground. But rather than crush you under its foot, the beast decides to tear open your chest and consume your heart. And yet, you somehow survive under the new label of "the Arisen," and your journey has you setting out to retrieve it, while still trying to figure out how you're still breathing.

You won't be taking this journey alone. As you progress, you have the opportunity to enlist "pawns" to your cause. These ever-loyal humans, controlled by the computer AI, are helpful in a pinch, resurrecting your health when you're running low or providing enough of a secondary attack so you can swoop in and strike. Better still, you can fashion them as you would real friends. (If you have the Xbox Live version, you can even pick two friends from your list and turn them into comrades.)

The game features hours upon hours of quests. Some are tedious, forcing you to retread through territories in order to find items; others fare much better, pitting you against enormous Cyclops creatures and other devastatingly large foes. At one point, you're even facing a nasty multiheaded snake creature, with your buddies telling you to chop away at it until you can properly decapitate it, putting it out of commission. While these boss battles are strenuous, they're thoroughly appealing, challenging your best warrior skills.

That said, there are things that kind of drag the journey beneath the likes of "Skyrim" and "Witcher." The first is the somewhat offbeat mixture of missions. You have to wade through some of the dull stuff to get to the better ones, which can easily discourage you from continuing if you're not up for it. You can take alternate paths, but you're likely to run into the same problem, as there's more than one lackluster mission to face here.

The second, which is even harder to overlook, lies with the "Pawns" themselves. These guys, while helpful in a battle, can't be commanded, which means you have to rely on them when the time is right . . . and the results don't always pay off. There are times they can do the wrong thing, or, worse yet, shout out continuous commands that can get old very, very quickly. If you can live with them, though, they'll eventually form a relationship with you, and one for the better closer to the mid-section of the game.

"Dragon's Dogma" may not look as ambitious as other adventure games of its ilk, but Capcom creates a serviceable world with Gransys, which you dwell in. There's plenty to explore here, and some of the enemies really light up the screen with intricate animations and attack patterns. They're sure to keep you on your toes. Some of the character models could look better, but overall, "Dragon's Dogma" has a pretty good appearance going for it.

Likewise, outside of repetitive character voices, the audio is really nice, with a few epic tunes kicking in and occasionally good voice acting sinking in. Some of the weapon effects really pay off, too. The clanging of a sword never gets old here.

However, we can't help but wish the game included some form of multiplayer. How great would it have been for "Dragon's Dogma" to have the option to play alongside human "Pawns"? It would've made battles a lot easier, that's for sure.

Nevertheless, Capcom surprises us once again, proving that they don't always lean on their franchises to garner success. (Just mostly.) "Dragon's Dogma" is a bold experiment that, in spite of hang-ups, pays off with an ambitious world to explore, crazy boss battles and customization options galore. If you've moved on from the other "big boys," feel free to settle in with this one.